[Washington / South Sioux City (Nebraska, USA) 29th Reuters]-US President Trump said on the 29th that he is planning a "big program" on ethanol. The aim is to relieve farmers' repulsion against the government's expansion of exemptions for ethanol mixing at refineries.
The remarks show that President Trump, who is ahead of the presidential election next year, needs to satisfy both important support bases, the corn farmer and the oil industry.
Mr. Trump posted on Twitter: “Farmers will be pleased if they know not only the year-round sales of E15 gasoline (a gasoline with an ethanol mixing ratio increased to 15%) but also the details of the ethanol policy currently being prepared.” “This is going to be a huge program. At the same time, a small refinery could be saved.
President Trump has not revealed the details of the contents of this “giant package”.
The US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires refineries to mix biofuels such as ethanol with gasoline. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allowed to exempt the obligation for small refineries that are financially strict. EPA announced 31 exemptions to 31 refineries this month. Corn industry groups have repelled that this number is too high.
